In any arrangement where there are a number of providers of a gaseous stream, and a number of users such as consumers of the gaseous stream, there are systems for controlling the incoming and outgoing flows between the providers and the users, often through a collective header.
In a publication by Honeywell Prague Laboratory, of Honeywell s.r.o, Prague, entitled “Honeywell Unified Energy Solutions Portfolio Reduces Operational Costs and Maximises Profit of Power and Heat Production”, there is described a conventional steam production control arrangement having a “Master Pressure Controller (MPC) on top of a cascade of steam production control. It maintains the header pressure in required operational range at varying steam demand, providing the control output—total heat input—for coordinated control of boilers.
However, a problem with this method of control is that the MPC can only take action once the header pressure has changed. The header pressure works as an integrator, so action by the MPC can only be relatively slow and mainly proportional.